Question: Regarding last week’s traffic column saying it’s perfectly legal to enter an intersection, stop and wait to make a left turn:
“Would Trooper Gill like to explain Page 41 of the Washington Driver Guide?
“It says, ‘Drivers must not enter an intersection unless they can get through it without having to stop. You should wait until traffic ahead clears so you are not blocking the intersection.’ ” – Paul Bach, Tacoma
Answer: Last week’s column inspired road rage in a number of drivers – including at least two driver instructors – who remain convinced that it is illegal to pull forward into an intersection and wait for an opening to make a left turn.
One caller, who also cited the Driver Guide, even threatened to sue both The News Tribune and the Washington State Patrol for offering bad advice.
Our confidence was shaken, so we asked Trooper Guy Gill and his colleagues at the State Patrol if they wanted to reconsider.
They didn’t.
Pulling forward is fine, they say. The Driver Guide, while a fine publication, is not the final authority. What matters are the actual laws in the Revised Code of Washington, which do not prohibit pulling forward.
Gill suggests that the writers of the Drivers’ Guide were referring to congestion on the other side of the intersection, as noted in RCW 46.61.202.
If traffic is backed up and you can see that you’re going to be stuck in the intersection when the light changes, he said, stay behind the stop line. Otherwise, go ahead and pull forward and wait for an opening to make your left.
Rob Carson: 253-597-8693
rob.carson@thenewstribune.com
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